Blog Berry Linzer Cookies

9-Jun-14 By Ann Clark

It's berry season and while there aren't too many cookies that feature fresh berries, there's one berry-flavored cookie you can make any time of the year—Linzer cookies. These flavorful, buttery almond cookies are filled with berry jam and dusted with confectioner's sugar, and make a beautiful dessert, or a very special accompaniment to afternoon tea.

Linzer cookies are an adaptation of Linzer torte, named for the town of Linz in Austria. The recipe, which is more than 300 years old, is actually a sort of tart, with a spiced nut pastry crust that's filled with jam and topped with a lattice pattern of dough. Today Linzer tortes are often made with hazelnuts, but according to the bakery in Linz that claims to make the authentic Linzer torte, the original recipe used almonds. Almonds are certainly easier to use, because they don't need to be toasted in order to remove their skins, like hazelnuts do. (Hazelnut skins are slightly bitter.) In fact, unblanched almonds (with the skins on) make a nicer looking cookie, in my opinion, although you could also use blanched almonds for a lighter look. Make sure you choose a good quality jam for the filling. For tips on success with rolled cookies, read this.